Charge-modifying method and apparatus for internal-combustion engines



Nov. 2,1926. I 1,605,342

w. GOODFELLOW CHARGE MODIFYING METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES Filed May 5, 1924 mummmwmumm attmmgi.

Patented Nov. 2, 192.6.

UNITED STATE WILLIAM GOODFELLOW, OF OAKLAND, GALIEGRNIA.

Ni 'l i 1C. E1;

CHARGE-MODIFYING METHOD arm. Anemia tens n03 INTERNAL-COMBUSTION;

ENGINES. I

Application filed May 5. 1924 Serial No. 711,080.

This invention relates tointernal combustion engines, especially to suchengines when used 011 automobiles, and it has to do with a means formodifying the gaseous fuel mixture supplied to such engines upon thesuction stroke of the pistons.

The objects of my invention are to provide a method whereby a solid fuelor solid explosive fuel modifying substance may be ad- W mitted to thecombustion chamber offthe engine along with the usualgaseous charge,also. to provide suitable: apparatus to carry out the method, and. alsoa special. mixture of solid explosive material in dust form adapted foruse .with the. apparatus.

Briefly stated the invention comprises av method of feeding. anexplosive. dust or pow,- der into the engine along with the usualvaporized gasoline and air mixture, and of utilizing the vibrationof theengine or automobile or combination of both in order to control theproper feeding. of the explosive.

dust.

The explosive materialused is in effect a slow burning gun-powder, whichI compound as follows: i

Saltpetre 3 parts, sulphur 1 part, sawdust 1 part.

However, I should hesitate to use charcoal, the usual carbon content ofgunpowder, because of the danger.

The materials are. ground to a fine powder and mixed as a powder. Theeffect of. the use of thisexplosive material in. the combus. tionchambers of an internal combustion engine is:

1st. To burn out. or oxidize the excess or free carbon usually found incombustion chambers.

2nd. To furnish solid fuel for the purposes of combustion. Plant dust ascarbon and sulphur are fuels.

3rd. To furnish an excess of oxygen for I have also used a mixture ofvsaltpetre 6 parts, sulphur 1 part, sawdust 1 part ;1

will form carbon, will do equally .well.

the purposes of combustion, that is more oxygen than can be obtainedfrom the atmosphere, as-saltpetre is in effect a magazine of oxygen insolid form.

In order to feed the material to the engine areceptacle for the powderis provided, a

pipe extended therefrom to the intake manifold of the engine so that airwill be drawn to the manifold through the powder, then vibratory means,is provided to prevent, cloggingofthe powder so as to insure a steadyflowofsame to the engine. I

In the drawings accompanying this application Figure 1 shows aconventional automobile engine with my apparatus installed and,connected to the intake manifold as described.

Figure 2 is an approximately full size seetional elevation of the.powder container, Figure 3 the vibrating feeder removed'from, thecontainer, Figure 4 the feed spring. as seen. in plan, and Figure 5 theair 'f-eedfvibratory valve.

In further detail the engine (1) has the usual carburetor (2) withthrottle (3). and intake manifold (4). The powder container is notnecessarily, though is conveniently situated abovethekcarburetorat(5)and has a pipe (6) extending tothe manifold preferably before thethrottle as shown, though not necessarily asit is my theory that all ofthe explosive dust is not burned instantaneously but is deposited on thewalls of the combustion chamber and gradually consumed, for thebeneficial results do not end abruptly upon'stopping the powder;therefore an extr'a supply of explosive when main throttle is closed isof benefitv rather than otherwise.

In Figures 2, 3, 4L and 5 the container (5) and its elements are shown,the vibratin feedercomprising the parts (7), (17), (9) and (10-) beingshown removed from the container for clarity.

The container (5) is preferably a brass.

shell with a fixedlower end and removable cover, and it has a brass tube(11) secured vertically along one side. This tube is sli htly shorterthan shell (5 and has an internal shoulder formed. at (12) with a lightcoiled, spring resting upon it.

T tube b in e -t than he Shells forms a free. passage, over the top andunder the lower end of the tube to the outer shell spaCajAligngid withthe tube, (11) is an outlet passageway (14:) connected with the pipe (6)to form the channel (14), (14) leading to the intake manifold of theengine, and at the upper end of the passage (14f) is a conical seat(15).

The vibrating feeder comprises a tube (7) adapted to pass freely throughthe hole (16) in the shoulder in the tube and has at its upper end aweight (17 adapted to fit loose- 1y within the tube (11) and rest uponthe upper end of spring (13) so that the tube (7 can freely vibrate upand down in the hole (16).

)Secured within the lower end of tube (7) is a spiral spring (10)adapted to freel' slide in the passage no- 14 and with its lower endextending beyond the pipe (6) into the intake manifold of the engine,when the vibrating feeder is in position within tube (11).

When the feeder is in place the lower end of tube (7) rests on a smallconical spiral spring (9) which in turn rests upon the conical seat(15). The upper end of the shell (5) is capped preferably with a hardleather cap (18) held in place by a threaded flange (19) and has an airinlet opening at (20). This air inlet is adapted to be covered by thevalve (21) with the stem (22) extending through the opening and keptfrom falling off by the small flange The valve is adapted to vibrate ontop of the cap through the vibration of the vehicle or engine and thusadmit air to the shell, and the amount of freedom of the valve forvibration de pends on the adjustment of the valve (21) on the threadedstem toward or from the flange )Vithin the shell container is placed asuitable quantity of the dust powder (2 1)211- luded to, and with thevibrating feed and valve in position as described, the operation is asfollows: With the engine running the vibration of the car or engine willtend to shake a small portion of the powder under the lower end of thetube (11) into the conical seat (15). The vibration of the car will alsoshake the valve (21) from its seat and admit air through opening (20).The feeder through action of' its weight (17) upon the. spring (13)keeps up a constant vibration and vibrates the spring (10) slightlyinside of the pipe (6), while at the same time the spring (9) vibratesslightly at the point of entrance of the powder to the seat (15) so asto keep the powder from packing.

The intake suction besides drawing in the usual charge through thecarburetor also draws air through passage (14)(1a). Some of this air isdrawn from inside the spiral spring (10) and some fromalong the outsideof the spring. Some air comes down inside tube (7) through top of tube(11) from inlet (20). and another path-0f the air is from the inlet (20)through or over the powder under the lower end of the tube (11) into theupper end of passageway (14E).

Mixed with this air is a certain amount of the explosive powder in dustform and which is drawn along with the gaseous fuel into the combustionchambers of the engine to function as already explained.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen to effect the objectssought and while I show specific apparatus for carrying out theinvention it is manifest that many variations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, i. e. the feeding of anexplosive powder to an engine together with the usual gaseous charge andof utilizing vibration and air currents to effect a proper flow of thedust particles, and any such modifications are intended to be covered inmy appended claims.

I claim:

'1. In an internal combustion engine, means for feeding a chargemodifying powder to the gaseous fuel charge comprising a receptacle forthe powder with a passage therefrom to the intake pipe of the engine, anair vent to the receptacle and a vibratory valve associated therewithadapted to admit air to the powder.

2. In an internal combustion engine, means for feeding a chargemodifying powder to the gaseous fuel charge comprising a receptacle forthe powder with a passage therefrom to the intake pipe of the engine anda vibratory feeding device adjacent the passage having a springextending through the passage into the pipe.

3. In an internal combustion engine, means for feeding a chargemodifying powder to the gaseous fuel charge comprising a receptacle forthe powder with a passage therefrom to the intake pipe of the engine,and entering at a point before the throttle valve, and vibratory meansassociated with the receptacle adapted to feed the powder to the engineat its suction stroke.

4. The method of modifying the gaseous fuel charge of an internalcombustion engine which consists in introducing a. dry powdered chemicalinto the gaseous charge in the forming thereof and before ignition, saidchemical being one adapted to liberate free oxygen upon the explosion ofthe adjacent fuel gases.

5. In an internal combustion engine, means for feeding a chargemodifying powder to the gaseous fuel charge comprising a receptacle forthe powder with a passage therefrom to the intake pipe of the en ne anda vibratory feeding device conne ed to the passage and responsive to themore.- tions set up by the operation of the engine to feed the powderthereinto.

WI LIA G QDFELLO

